He did not. But I would have probably hit him until he put me down, so that's okay.

I'm very excited to report that my straightneck yellow squash has sprouted! That and chives are the first sprouts since I planted those Saturday. I have a sprout forest for the Cherokee purple tomato and five of the tomatillo.

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ďAll that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."-J.R.R Tolkien

I've been harvesting snap peas and some snow pea interlopers that somehow got mixed in. My garlic is almost ready to be harvested; I did pull three bulbs last night so I can give some to a friend I'll be seeing today. It is fantastic! Normally, I only get 4 to 5 cloves in each bulb, when I've grown it before. These ones have more like 8 to 10 cloves. Which is awesome, because I don't need to save nearly so many to plant this fall for garlic next year.

Garlic is really one of the most rewarding crops for me. The vast majority of the garlic in grocery stores here is grown in China or Mexico, both of which make me nervous for pesticide reasons and also for carbon footprint reasons.

I will soon be harvesting beans, my potatoes, beets, rutabaga, parsnips and carrots are looking really good. And, considering how late the plants went in, my tomatoes, peppers, Brussel sprouts and red cabbage are doing OK. As well as the second round of late planted beans.

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After cleaning out my Dad's house, I have this advice: If you haven't used it in a year, throw it out!!!!.

Ladyknight1, is your autumn late enough turning to frost that plants started now will fruit successfully? Or will you have to cover things?

I'm hopeful my cucurbitae will get a move on [the plants are rampant; they've got everywhere], but with the exception of my one (for the variety) huge pumpkin, and a few potimarron, and the wonderful cucumbers, they're only just starting to flower in earnest. I worry that the fruit won't have time to develop and ripen before it freezes...

If yours are just germinating, will they be OK? I'm guessing you don't worry about frost from mid-October onwards?

Sounds an impressive collection, and I hope you'll be posting a few pics when things get bigger!

I harvested my autumn-sown garlic, and can't thank whichever of you suggested autumn-planting: I had 59 out of 60 'germinate' and ended up with 60 bulbs (of varying sizes, but then I'd just picked the best out of my garlic pot in the kitchen, so it was a mix of at least three varieties), because one had a "side-kick". My spring-sown garlic is half harvested, and really has thrown into sharp relief how good it is to plant in the autumn!

Romaine lettuces doing great [they are this year's success story]; Chinese leaves appear to have served only as a buffet for tiny-mouthed beasties.

One row of peas did not germinate; the other produced enough to add to a salad! 'Shiraz' mange-tout: purple pods that turn the steaming water turquoise, but the plants are still flowering, so I'm hoping they will have a second flush.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed the second part of the season will produce results. [I really want to do Mel the Redcap's tomato chutney, and for that I need more than the pathetic mouthful my plants are producing!]

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"All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well." - Julian of Norwich

Does anyone have experience with cilantro? I did herb pots for the first time this year. My rosemary, sage and basil are thriving, and the parsley is surviving. But I killed a pot of oregano and two of cilantro. I tried watering more... I tried watering less... more sun... less sun. And still they died. I bought two more cilantro plants, but so far they're still sitting in their little biodegradable peat pots - I've been afraid to transplant them. (I have a black thumb. I think I could do a Plants That I Have Killed version of The 12 Days of Christmas.)

On the other hand, DH's tiny garden has done lovely. The squash has almost stopped (we're zone 7, and he planted early), but we're still getting cucumbers and tomatoes. I've put up almost 5 gallons of pickles and 2 gallons of salsa, and we've given away scads of cucumbers and eaten an alarming amount of cucumber/tomato salad. And the peppers had been looking sad for a while, but they seem to be cheering up, so there's hope for more of them.

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Some day, I hope to get paid to kill people. Now, I just do it for fun.

The squash seedlings are planted! Just in time, since some were looking sad. Unfortunately, the fire ants weren't happy about me invading their space. They will have to go, as I am highly reactive to their bites.

My okra is finally sprouting, so the only things that have not sprouted yet are lavender, mint, and a few other herbs.

I just ordered new seeds and will be starting them soon. Three types of milkweedTwo types of sunflowerPurple echinaceaGolden beetEarly wonder beetChinese red meat radishFrench breakfast radishArumugam's eggplant

I'm starting the milkweed, echinacea and sunflower on the porch, and will start the seeds for the beets and radishes that way too.

Plus! I am getting more rose buds on the rose bush, we're up to 5 since we moved in May. It really liked the pruning I gave it, and the plant food I gave it.

I picked two tomatoes yesterday, and my wildflower seeds are sprouting.

I found this in the yard yesterday, and it is not a native plant, but is a wildflower. It's a blue aster.

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ďAll that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."-J.R.R Tolkien